Metal-strap sealer



Sept; 29, 1925.

C. B. FROST METAL STRAP SEALER Filed Aug. 26, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet l sept. 29, 1925.

C. B. FROST METAL STRAP SEALER Filed Aug. 26, 3921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 bE'/or-iz a i 99 G 97 za;

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 C. B. FROST METAL STRAP SEALER Flled Aug 26 1921 l l l l.-

Sept 29, 1925 sept. 29, 1925. 1.555,564

C. B. FROST METAL STRAP SEALER Filed Aug. 26. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Sept. 29, 1925.

C. B. F ROST METAL STRAP SEALER Filed Aug. 26. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor M yzzz/ WW Zr'n ys.,

Patentecl Sept. 29, 19 25.

UNITED-1 s'rATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CLABNCE B. FROS'I', OF CAMBIR'IDGE, MAS'SACHUSETTS.

METAL-STRA? SEAI'ER.

Appneation fiiea august 28, 1921.v serial No. 495,882.

' lates to apparatus for use in applying strap metal ties to bales, 01' to containers requiring such reinforcing means for protection in shipping.v lA number of appliances for interlocking or attaching a sea-1 to the lapped ends of the tie are now commercially available. All of them, so far as I am aware, require the services of two or more men in the operation as hitherto practiced, of placing the straps or bands about the bale, and securing the ends together. Of these men only one is fully occupied. The others have little to do and for the most part stand idle. The present methods also involve a considerable wastage of the tie material because the strips are usually pre-cut longer than the distance around a bale, so that when the band is pulled taut, a length of material varying from six inches to two feet or more is cut ofl' and thrown away.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus which will make a broad improvement in this art, reducing the number of men needed, or enabling all the men used to keep busy. It is a further object to provide apparatus whereby only the exact length of strip'needed for a bale tie need be uesd,-thereby eliminating all waste of the material. This is done by keeping the supply of tie strip in roll form in such manner that it can be conveniently handled and placed about a bale without being first cut oiil from the supply; holding the strip after it has been wrapped around the bale so that it can be drawn taut by one man rapidly and conveniently; and holding it likewise securely by mechanical means while it is cut at the exact length to give the requisite overlap, prior to sealing; and holding it thereafter while the sealing operation occurs. It is also among the objects of the invention to provide means which may either be associated together in one assembly or which may be separated'from one another and only brought together into operative relation with each otherwhen it is desired to perform different Steps in the complete operation.

'I'hese objects, and other improvements which characterize the invention, are gained by providing a reel which may be of'any ordinary or suitable style, for holding a roll of the strip metal material which is to constitiitc the ties, in conjunction with a standard and one-way grip for holding the protruding end of the strip in position for convenient'application to the bale. W'ith this is associated apparatus for holding, tightening, Cutting and sealing the ends of the stri when it has been wrapped around the bale; in connectionwith which is mounting means 'by which the severing and sealing apparatus may be held ordinarily retracted but movable with precision into position to effect the Operations of severing and sealing, the bale tie meanwhile being held in thev desired position so as to register With thesevering and sealing apparatus when moved into their operative positions. Or, if itis desired to effect the sealin of one strap while the cutting operation is eing performed on another, the holding apparatus may be detached froin the Cutting device and the latter.

moved along to co-act with other similar holding apparatus to hold and sever another strap, during which operation the sealing device may be attached to the first mentioned holding apparatus to efi'ect the' sealing of the strap first severed.

lVhile the apparatus is described in its more complete aspect, some parts of it may be omitted at pleasure, as for example the standard and mountin' lin which case the D7 apparatus could be suspended from over- [head supports or merely lield in position by the tension in the strap itself when the latter has been passed about the bale and gripped by the holding means; and vai'iations may be made in sundry respects from the specific embodiments of the invention which are here illustrated to show the principle thereof. It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatevei`` features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a bale in a press and apparatus embodying the present invention in position to attach a bale tie 4thereto;

Figure 2 is 'a front elevation of the as,

sembly comprising the holding, severing and sealin means; and -a portion of the support t erefor;

- Figura 3 is a in Figure 1; I

Figure 4 is a side view of the assembly with a modified plate adapted for attachin box straps;

igure 5 shows a section on l1ne 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective of one form of seal' Figure 7 is a front elevation showing'the invention as it may be applied for attaching box straps;

Figure 8 is a side view partly in section plan of the apparatus shown `as on line 8-8 of Figure 2;

Figure 9 shows a section on line 9-9 of Figure 10; v O

Figure 10 is a front view of a portion of the apparatus shown in F1gu re 8;

Figure 11 is a front elevation, showing a modification in the construction of the apparatus, whereby the holding and sealing means are each separately movable from the securing means and the support;

Figure 12 is a front view showing the holding means and severing means in operative position on the support; and

Figure 13 shows a section on line 13-13 of Figure 12.

Referring to the drawlngs, a bale 10 1s shown compressed between the base 12 and the head 14 of an ordinary baling press, this being the usual position of a bale while the strips or hands are placed about it and their ends secured together, but the invention may also be applied where there is no intial compression given to the bale or con- 'tainer which is to be bound by bale ties. The strip material is supplied by the manufacturers in rolls, but the users of the material in present practice cut these rolls into lengths approximating the distance around the bale before `applying it thereto, always adding a little extra length to thls estimated band length to provide for gripping the strap after it has been wrapped about the bale so it may be pulled taut. Such pre- Cutting is extremely wasteful, in that the extra length of strap added for gripping and pulling is of no other use and must be cut ofl' and thrown away after the strap has been sealed. If the strap is pre-cut before the bale is compressed, its length is a matter of guess work, because no accurate measurement of the length of strip needed for the bale tie can be made or even closely calculated at that time and the loss resulting from poor estimation is a very large item; and if the bale is formed under pressure so that the length of strap needed can be measured with close approximation, the extra length added for gripping is still a total loss after it has been utilized for pulling the rest of the strap` tight. It is a feature of the present invention to rovide means for handlin the strip materia which permits it` to be p aced aboutthe bale and drawn taut ready for the sealing operation before it is cut. This results in the use of only the exact length of strip needed for a tie and eliminat'es all wastage. A reel 16 adapted to hold the supply roll 18 is rotatable on an axle pin 20 whose ends rest in suitable notches in standards 22 ofastened to a movable truck 24 which can be rolled into position beside the bale 10 to enable the strip 19 to be drawn ofl' the reel and passed around the bale and tightened ready of sealing, before it is severed. The truck also has mounted upon it a standard 26 and a treadle 28. The standard is secured to the truck near one edge thereof and preferably at a corner, so that it may be brought relatively close to the front of the bale. A one-way gripping device 30 is clamped to the standard below its top, through which device the strip passes freely when drawn upward, but in which a ball check 30' presses against the strip to prevent its movement downward. This keeps the free end 19' of the strip in service position, to be reached by the operator, and keeps this end from dropping on the floor and getting tangled.

There is rotatably mounted upon the standard, a supporting arm 32 comprising a sleeve 32' and a bracket 34. This arm carries at itsvend a short Vertical post 36, upon which post 36 a similar arm 40, sleeve 40' land bracket 42 are rotatable. The arm 32 is rotatable upon the standard 26, and is also adjustable thereon vertically, there being a collar 38 which can be set at any height upon the standard, and u on which the end of the sleeve 32' seats. T e other arm 40 is similarly rotatable about the post 36, thereby permitting placing of the end of this arm in any desirable position along the front of the bale within reasonable limits. A yoke 44 is attached to this arm 40, so that it may swing about the horizontal axis of the arm; and to this yoke is hinged a bale or box plate 46, with the axis of the hinges perpendicular to the'axis of rotation of the yoke. This bale plate, which, in Figures 1 to 10 inclusive, is illustrated with the holding, severing and sealing apparatus assembled rigidly therewith, is, in Figures 11 to 13 shown fixed to the holding device alone so that in this latter modification it is pos- 'sible to removably attach either the severing or sealing means separately to the bale plate. Thus, assuming the bale plate and holding means to have been connected with the cutting apparatus while the strap has been placed around the bale, pulled tight and cut off, it becomes possible to withdraw the cutting device leaving the holding means and bale plate fastened to the Strap; after which the sealing means may be slipped into connection with the bale plate and holding means, to 4atiix the seal and thus complete the several Operations of attaching the bale tie.

After placing the truck in position to scrve the strip material, the latter is drawn upward through the one-way grip and passed around the bale, rearward across the top,

hat 111g locating lugs 53, 5a 1n vertical ahgn ment against which the edge of the strip is slipped to fix its position in a horizontal direction, and the anvil having a slight protuberance 57' at its upper edge against which the extremity of the strip can abut to limit I its position in a Vertical direction. As will hereinafter more clearly appear, the anvil is proportioned to fit the seal which'is to be attaehed to the bale tie, it being the same width as the seal and approximately as long, so that when the free end of the strip is laid along the anvil with its extremity against the protuberance thereon, the portion thus placed upon the anvil will be that portion of one end which is tobe gripped by the seal.

'ith the free end of the strip thus located,

and secured by the clamping roll 48, the portion of the strip between the top front edge of the bale and the one-way grip is laid along the plate and moved flatwise toward the aligned locating lugs 53, 55, of the blocks,

being slipped under another knurled holding roll 58 at the upper edge of the plate, similar to the lower holding roll previously dcscribed. The strip is also placed under an idler s'haft 60 journaled in the upper block 54 close below the upper holding roll shaft 58', with its smooth face nearer to the plate than is the knurled face of the holding roll 58 when the latter is turned out of engagement with the strip, so that the strip may be drawn taut around the bale without rubbing on the knurled roll, for it will slide or roll on the surface of the idler shaft which thus takes the wear, and keeps the corrugations of the holding roll sharp for holding purposes. While being slipped toward. the blocks and under the upper rolls, the strip is also guided by the operator across the face of the anvil, over the lower holding roll, and over a fixed cutter 62, secured to a cutter arm 64 projecting from the lower block. The cutting edge of this cutter is ap- 'at the lower edge of the anvil, thus overlapping the end of the strip first' laid across the anvil a length equal to the length of the anvil and consequently equal to the length` of the seal. The strip is now in osition to be tightened, and this is accomplis ed by the operator first pulling downward by hand on theportion of the strip below the cutter, and then clamping to this portion a movable clamp 66 of suitable design, which is connected by an adjustable rod or cord 67 to the treadle 28, upon which treadle 28 the operator may place his weight to effect the final tightening of the strip. VVhen suiiciently tightened in this manner the upper knurled holding roll 58 is turned by its handle to clamp the strip firmly against the bale plate, thereafter preventing any slippage of the taut band' The strip can now be severecl since all its'slack has been taken up leaving, drawn tightly about the bale, just the proper length of strip necessary for a bale tie.

The Cutting is quickly and easily accomplished by throwing a hand lever 68 inward toward the bale on the left side of the plate,

the lever being pivoted on a shaft 70 extending vertically through the blocks 52 and 54 and having a cutter 72. affixed thereto in position to pass the fixed cutter 62, to sever the strip. The new free end of the strip will fall away from the bale to bang from the one-way grip until the supply is again needed, while the newly severed end 19" of the bale tie will lie over the end 19' first placed along the anvil thereby. providing'the overlap which as before noted is intended to be substantially the length of the seal that is to be applied The cutter lever is next swung about its axis to the other or right side of the plate out of the way, so that a seal 74 may be slipped over the lapped ends of the bale tie. Types of seal now in common use, or any other suitable type, may be employed in the apparatus of the invention, that shown for illustrative purpose being one made with inturned edges 74' on its under side between which. and the face o-f the seal the strip can be slipped through lengthwise. In applying it such a seal is first slipped upward along the outer layer 19" of the bale tie, with its face out and its inturned edges under the strip, until its lower'edge is above the upper end of thelayer 19' 'of the bale tie nearest to the anvil, whereupon the seal is presse'd inward held in this position by friction, due to pressure exerted by the ends of the strip intheir tendency to spring away from the anvil. With the seal thus positioned, it

only remains to secure the seal to the ends so as to bind the seal and the' 'etc'. lVith the Seal illustrated, this\operation is accomplished in part by a sealing die 76 which is adapted. to bc forced tiowardthe bale plate against the anvil so as to pinch thelongitudinal edges ofthe seal tightly against the edges of the bale tie, and to force one or more prongs 78 through the seal and tie ends. Accordingly, the die is made with dependingedgesSO slightly tapered on their inner faces to slide past thel scal and'layers, the tapers serving to position them squarely on the anvil. At the inner ends of`their tapered faces, on each side of the die, are Shoulders parallel to the top surface of the anvil and extending in from the tapered faces as far inward as the inturned edges of the seal extend in on the bale tie. Between these .shoulders, there is a recess algng the die from which may protrude one or more of the prongs 78, each of-which acts as a punch to pierce the seal and lapped ends vof the bale tie. But this piercing is not by any means excessive, for the point of the prongs is only slightly in advance of the Shoulders, in fact just enough to cause the prongs to barely penetrate the inner layer of the bale tie when the Shoulders have pinched the seal together tightly along its edges, thus just breaking` through the surface of the under layer without forming a jagged spur upon its surface.

The apparatus for forcing the sealing die against the anvil to'attach the Seal, comprises a lever 84 to one 'end of which the sealing die is pivotally supported to permit it some freedom of movement for positioning itself and the'seal on the' anvil. The other end of this lever is supported by a shaft 86 whose bearings are provided by the bale plate blocks' 52, 54, which shaft also serves as a spindle for a coiled spring 88 which is wrapped about the spindle, and which .passes under the die lever so that it tends to keep the' die away from the anvil. The spring may be easily overcome, however, by a hand lever 90 whose yoked end is pinned to the shaft upon which the cutter lever 68 loosely swings. Movement of the hand lever 90-inward on the left side of the bale plate causes a cam 92, keyed on the shaft 70 between the ends of the yoke of the hand lever 90, to move into engagement with the die lever 84, pressing the latter inwardagainst the 'action of its retracting spring- 88 and` forcing the sealing die 76 toward the anvil. When heavy gauged stock is used for the bale ties, the pressure required on the hand lever to force the prongs through the seal and ends of the band, may be'so great that unless prevented the 'plate and all may tend to revolve about the .hmged connections of the 'plate and yoke, and accordingly' twist the bale tie To offset this, the cutter lever 68, which, after the severin operation Was swung over to the right o f te plate, maybe grasped by the right hand of the operator and pressed towar-d the bale on the right side as his left hand presses on the sealing' lever toward the bale on the left side, thus creating a balance of the forces tending to 'cause rotation of the plate. Upon the hand lever 90 being-swung out of operative position, the sprmg lifts the sea ing die, and thereafter, when the holdin rolls 48, 58 are released, the bale plate can e slipped from under the now sealed bale tie. To .effect withdrawal with ease of the apparatus from under the sealed tie the surface of the anvil may be nclined as illustrated, and there may be slots cut crosswise of this surface to permit free passage of the slight projections on the inner):l surface of the bale tie caused b the punc ing of the prongs. After the bale plate hasbeen withdrawn the apparatus may be moved to the next position along' the front of the bale Where another bale tie can be attached in a similar manner. If the position of the collar 38 on the standard is left unchanged, it is manifest that all the bale ties on a bale will be sealed at a uniform height across the front -thereof, which, in addition to improving the appearance of the bale, has also another advantage over the present method of baling. The pull on each bale tie to tighten it is from the s'ame relative height from the fioor and because the operator is thus working under similar conditions on each tie, the force executed by the hand and by 'the foot on each tie is substantially the same, which gives uniformity of tension in each Strap, when the bale has been removed from the press.

In sealing a strap about -a box 91l (Fi 7) or similar container, it is desirable to xeep the ends of the strap as close to the surface ofthe box during the sealing operation as is possible, so thatuponthe removal of the sealing apparatus there will be no slackness in the Strap. This is accomplished in the apparatus of the present invention by making the plate 46 relatively thin, particularly along the edge over which the strap ends are held. A plate so constructed is shown in Figures 4, 5 and 7, there being only stock enough in the tapered edge 47 to coact with the holding rolls 48, 58, and to constitute the anvil 56'. 'Such ar plate permits the strap of the container, so that, upon the plate bei ing removed, the strap is tight about the box. Such tightness may be further assured by an excessive tensioning of the strip before it is clamped to the plate, it being possible topull the strip so taut that it will compress, to same extent, the box material,

especially at the edges thereof, thereby en- 'abling the box itself to exert an expansive pressure on the Strap to keep it t-aut. This excessive tensioningl of the strip may be readily accomplished by 'a tightning device such as is disclosed in Figs. 4 and 7, in which the plate 46is shown extended :somewhat below the holding roll 48, and provided with a lug 93 adapted to pivotallyl Support a lever 95. A projection 97 on the side of this lever extends under thestrip 19, and on the same side thereof is pivoted a second lever 99, whose eccentric end 101 lies over the projection 97 and moves toward it to clamp-'the strip when the handle 103 is first swung downward. Upon thus clamping the strip, further movement of the second lever 99, causes both it and the lever 95 to swing as one aboutthe pivotal support 93,

to tension the strip., The lever 99 may be operated by hand alone, or it may be connected to means suitable for foot operation, such as the treadle 28 shown in Fig. 1'. -The truck and standard of Fig. 1 need not-be utilized however, for the supply roll 18 and reel 16 may be rotatably mountedon a shaft 105 extending between the uprights of the bench 103, and theone way gripping device 30 and the plate 48 may be held by supporting` means clamped to the edge of the bench 107. An arrangement of this sort permits the plate and its assembly to be moved along the bench to any desired location, the reel from the cutting apparatus.

sliding `along its supporting shaft and the one way gripping device being clamped in position to coact therewith. The holding, severing and sealing of the strap about the box may be performed in the same manner as previously described in connection with the bale tie, in fact, the modification shown in Figures 4, 5 and 7 could be used for attaching bale ties, it being-only necessary to provide a suitable support for the plate assembly, which will hold it against the tensioning pull on the strip. And, although particularly shown as Operating at the front of a bale or box, the apparatus of the invention can be used at the top or ends of a package, and with either end up, depending upon whether the strip material is supplied from below or above the plate assembly.

The modification of the invention shown in Figures 10 to 12 provides for the separation of the bale plate and sealing device In this embodiment of the invention the bale plate 46' is made integral with the anvil 56 as before,

``-for only the idler 60' and holding'roll shafts 48, 58. The front surface of the bale plate is provided with raised guides 92 extending crosswise of the plate to form dovetails between which can be inserted a cutter carrying plate 94 hinged to the yoke 44, as was the bale plate 46 itselfin the heretofore described arrangement. Upon this 'cutter plate'94 are mountedfithe cutters, the 'fixed cutter 62 .being carried on one small block 96, and the movable cutter 72 being ona lever 68' pivoted on a vshaftv 98, which hasone end journaled in the same block 96 and the'other end Journaled in a similar block 100, both of which blocks may be integral with the'cutter plate 94. The edges of the cutter plate are formed to slip along the dovetails 92 of the bale plate 46' so that the two plates and the apparatus carried on each may be brought together as one unit, and the whole positloned with respect to thev bale so that the strip may be held and secured' inthe same manner as when the complete assembly first described in used. However, after the cutting takes place, the cutting apparatus may be withdrawn from the bale plate and moved along with the truck to another positionp where an additional bale plate 46'a withkits holding rolls may be combined'with the cutter plate to hold and cut another bale tie. In the meantime, the bale plate 46' first used will have remained in place on the front of the bale being held by the tension in the Strap, whose ends are held to the plate by the holding rolls, in overlapped relation to each other along the anvil, as shown in Figure 4. While thus held, the seal may be conveniently slipped on, so` that when the sealing apparatus used in this modification is placed on the bale plate 46', the 'seal can at lonce be aflixed. This sealing apparatus is a-rranged with a plate 102 of its own slidable along the dovetails 92 of the bale plate 46' to bring the sealing die 76' over the anvil. The Operating lever 90' of this apparatus is carried on shafts journalled in blocks 104, 106 on the auxiliary plate 102 to which is also attached a handl'e 108 which may be pressed to balance the force applied to the hand lever 90'. After the sealingoperation is performed as heretofore explained, the bale plate and sealing apparatus are removed from the finished bale tie, and the bale plate passed along to be used againwith the cutting device at a new position, While the sealing device is coupled up with the bale plate on the tie next to the one just sealed. In such manner, the bale ties may be secured about a bale with great rapidity, one set of men being at work passing the strips about the bale, cutting it of and leaving it ready to be sealed, and another man Operating the sealing apparatus to aflix the seal'. In a and means for attaching a seal plant where many packages are bale-tied in a day, the saving in time and number'of men, and in the ehminatin of waste of strip material, is very great; an even in a smaller plant where one baling tool would handle all the Work done, the use of apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention would create an appreciable reduction of the costs.

Although the apparatus of the present mvention has been described in its adaptation for cutting ofi'v from strip material an exact len h of strip necessary to form a bale-tie or ox 'strap and thereafter attaching a seal to the ends thereof, the apparatus can be employed equally as well for using up odd pieces of strip, such as might be left at the very end of a supply roll. Such a'piece, too short in itself to form a complete band, may be held on the plate with anend in overlap- -ping relation with the free end of a fresh roll and the two sealed together as heretofore described. A complete band may then be made consisting of the odd piece plus enou h of the new strip to give the requlsite lengt Thus' the invention not only eliminates all wastage of the strip material in forming the separate bands, but in saving pieces of the material which might otherwise be thrown away, also makes possible the utilization of the entire roll.

I claim:

1. A truck having. mounted thereon a supply of strip material, a portion of which can be withdrawn to form a band about a package, supporting means carried by said truck comprising a cutting device for severing said portion from the supply; holding means adapted to be removably attached to said supporting means for clamping said strip during the cutting operation and being further adapted to hold the severed portion thereafter with its ends in position to be fastened together upon removal of said supporting means; 'combined with means attachable to said holding means for afecting said fastening of said ends.

2. Apparatus for forming about a package a band from strip material supplied in roll form, comprising a standard having means mounted thereon for holding the strip about the package in position to be operated upon, means for determining the exact length of strip required for the band including a predetermined overla at its ends, means for severing said length rom the roll,

to the overlapping portions of the severed band to bind said portions together.

3. In apparatus for handling strip material to form a band thereof about a package and for fastening the ends of the band together, the combination with a support, of

a plate adjustably mounted thereon lhaving means for holding the strip in position about the package, means for severing the strip to form the band, and meansfor thereafter attaching a seal to the ends of the band thus formed to fasten said ends securely together.

4. In apparatus for handling strip mate- 'rial from a supply roll to form a band about a package, the combination with an `adjujstable support of a plate adapted to lie against the package having clamping means w rial from a supply roll to form a band aboutl a package, the combination with a support of an assembly carried thereby comprising means for holding the free end of the stri with its extremity in a predetermined 'position, means for tensioning the strip to draw it tightly about'the package with a portion thereof overlapping the said free end, means for clamping the strip to maintain it taut in said overlapping position, means for cutting the overlapping portion while thus held from the supply roll to form a second free end, and means for attaching a seal to bind the overlapping free ends together.

- 6. Means for forming a band about a package from a supply roll of strip material comprising holding means for holding the strip around the package with portions thereof between said holding means overlapping each other a predetermined amount, and means for .Cutting said strip while so held from the roll, leaving the said over- ,strip from the end thus held, means for clamping the strip thus tensioned with a portion beyond the clamping means overlapping the said free end, means for cut-v ting the strip from the roll leaving the new end thus formed, also free, and means for thereafter attaching a seal to said overlapping free end portions to 'bind them together.

Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this twenty-third dag' of August, 1921.

o LARNC B. FROST. 

